The invention relates to telephone messaging apparatus and methods. The invention also relates to automated collect call messaging systems.
Collect calls allow a caller to transfer charges for a call to the account of the telephone station receiving the call, at the option of the called party. Traditionally, the called party would have to answer the call and accept the charges, in order for a collect call to be completed. If the called station was not answered or is busy, the call could not be completed. Therefore, methods have been devised to enable a caller to leave a message for a called party if the called station does not answer or is busy when the call is placed. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,150 to Reiman et al., assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses a method and apparatus wherein, if there is no answer or if the called station is busy, the messaging platform retains control of the call and automatically prompts the caller to enter a name and a message to be delivered to the called party. After the name and message have been entered, the caller is given a confirmation number, if desired, which allows the caller to determine whether the called party has received the message. The messaging platform repeatedly attempts to deliver the message by calling the called party. Upon the call being answered, the messaging platform identifies the caller and prompts the called party to accept or refuse the collect message. If the called party accepts the message, the messaging platform plays it and the called party is charged for the message.
Other methods and apparatus for leaving messages for called parties exist. These include, for example, services known as Messenger for Card, Messenger for Operator Assisted Collect, Messenger for 1-800-Collect, and Dial 1 Messenger.
Callers that leave these messages must call an 800 number to determine if their message was successfully delivered. This is inconvenient for the caller.
The invention provides a system and method to inform a caller when their message is delivered or if the message was undeliverable. Another aspect of the invention provides a system and method to locate the caller either via a pre-subscribed location or a location left upon recording the message. Pre-subscribed locations may be dynamic based upon a schedule devised by the caller.
One aspect of the invention provides a method of delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the method including, in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called station, storing a message from the calling station, using a messaging system, for later delivery to the called station, obtaining address information, using the messaging system, for the calling party and for the called station, from the calling station, attempting to deliver the message, using the messaging system, to the called station by initiating a communication from the messaging system to the called station using the address information for the called station that was obtained from the calling station, determining, using the messaging system, whether the message delivery attempt was successful, and, in response to successful delivery of the message, attempting to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system for delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the system including a voice message system configured to store a message from the calling station, for later delivery to the called station, in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called station, a user contact database configured to store an address for the calling party and a communication technique associated with the address with which to attempt to contact the calling party to provide information concerning the status of delivery of the message to the called station, a processor configured to attempt to deliver the message to the called station by initiating a communication to the called station, the processor being configured to determine whether the message delivery attempt was successful and, in response to successful delivery of the message, to attempt to notify the calling party that the message to the called station was successfully delivered.
In operation, a caller registers his or her identity, via a data device, with a directory service. When registering, the caller also indicates one or more methods of communication and address, e.g., pager number, phone number, cell phone number or IP Address, to the directory service.
When the caller later intends to leave a message to a called party, either via card call, collect call, or Dial 1 call, upon successful delivery of the message, the processor that successfully delivered the message sends a confirmation notice to the caller. To do so, the processor queries the directory service to determine the caller""s method of communication. The method of communication may depend upon time of day, day of week and/or day of year. The processor then signals the caller of the successful message delivery via the specified method of communication.
In an alternative embodiment, to find the caller, the caller is allowed to leave a telephone number, pager number, a URL or other method by which they may be contacted during the call when recording the message for the called party. Each message will have a unique identification code.
In one aspect of the invention, the system informs the caller if the message was undeliverable and was therefore cancelled.
In one aspect of the invention, when a caller intends to leave message for a called party via an automated or manual messaging service, the service either collects contact information for the user or consults a directory service to determine the user""s location, the message service either delivers the message or cancels the message, and the message service notifies the caller. In one aspect of the invention, notification includes time of delivery or cancellation and message ID. In one aspect of the invention, if the message was undeliverable, the notification includes reason why message was undeliverable.